Hand Sucking

Emily - posted on 01/17/2010
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My daughter is little more than 3m old. When she was a NB we would occassionally be able to get her to take a pacifier but for short periods of time...now she wont take them at all. She prefers to suck on her fist....lol almost shoving half her hand in there. Even once she is fed and has napped she will do it. Just wondering if thats normal for other womens baby's too..not sure if thats just her thing or shes teething early. Any ideas?

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Yep - entirely normal! My little guy just goes to town on that fist - even after he's been fed, so it's not hunger. He hates the pacifier, too. According to the books, it is a "pre-teething sign" meaning that they will likely start teething within about 2 months of the time it started.

My son also refuses the pacifier! He has always tried to suck on his hand and in the last few days he has been successful at sucking his thumb. My other children had pacifiers. Although it is adorable when he sucks his thumb, I was told not to let him suck his thumb since it is hard to break the habit. Any ideas?

its normal,, my son do it too, and he hates the paci i baught all kinds of paci so he might like one but no luck :(its normal to suck his fist but do not let him catch one finger so it does not become a habit

Anita is drooling and sucking her fist. Does not matter if she just ate ot not. Her doctor told me that she was more then likely teething and that anything that she could get into her mouth to chew on felt good to her gums. I can vouche for that because usually when I am holding her. She finds my knuckle on my index finger on my right hand and gnaws, nibbles and sucks on it. She will take a pacifier sometimes, but not all the time. She also does it when she is tired.

Oh my, I am so glad I got the email about this conversation! My baby Zaina has been sucking her fingers, thumb and fist for about 2 weeks now. She will be 4 months old soon. She makes herself gag. Sometimes she takes the pacifier but she prefers her hand or mine. She is drooling quite a bit too. She sucks her hand all the time, even after she has a full belly. It is quite comical but noisy when you are trying to sleep yourself!

hey Emily,my son is just turning three months this week, and he does that, i have been trying to discourage it but it is a big deal. he started as soon as he was born, and it varies with which fingures get into his mouth first, sometimes the whole fist or fingures from both hands. its quite funny at times, but i also want to knowhow to discourage it or if it will be a permanent habit

OMG my son does this too!!! he's 3 1/2 months.. i thought i was the only one whose child did this..he does it like two seconds after i burp him. or when he's crying/in his swing etc. it's a constant thing..and he doesn't take the pacifiers; hasn't since he was a NB..and even then it was a 2 min thing! idk how to make him stop this either :/

My daughter just turned 3 mos on the 23 and during her 2 month doctor visit the doctor told me that most kids start teething around 2 months. She said many people misunderstand what teething is. She said it's not just her teeth coming in but her gums also preparing for her teeth to come in and it starts around 2 months and continues up to 2 years old.

So, I guess to answer your question as many have already confirmed it's normal and maybe she's teething like mine is. She likes her fist too. It's so funny.

My daughter is 3 months old and same thing...she is over the pacifier and wants to suck her thumb now...which seems better because she knows how to soothe herself. I guess babies can teethe long before they get any teeth as well...I definitely think my daughter is starting to teethe...drooling and red cheeks and fussier...

My 3m old little man likes to suck his hand, fingers, thumb, pacifier, and mommy's fingers. I think it is a sign of teething (I keep checking but no sign of teeth yet) or the beginning of exploration with the mouth. I just have to keep his, my hands, and pacifiers clean.

Hi, my son John is 3m now and does the same thing, he still takes the pacifier, especially when we go in the car. I am thinking it is because he can not get his thumb as comfortably, as when a NB he did suck his thumb a couple of times. But, this is my first so it could be anything..lol

My daughter is 3 months old. She will take her pacifier when she is sleepy....but you have to keep trying because she will "gag" on it a couple of times. But she loves to suck on her fist. She prefers her fist to the binky. I would say it is completely normal.

My daughter is 12 weeks old and she is the exact same. She takes her pacifier every once in a while, mostly at night, but during the rest of the day she keeps her fists up near her mouth. She tries to cram her whole hand it there! We just try and tell everyone not to touch her hands so she doesn't get their germs.

My son is the same way. he loves to shove his fists in his mouth and sometimes makes himself gag. but he also recently started teething. so he could just like it, or it could be teething. for ours its both right now. but he whines alot more when he does it now.

mine still has a dummy but do knock it out most ov the time to suck his fist. they do stop sucking the fist in the end, and even with dummys, it is hard but time they are 1, 2 u can stop them from aving one. they may cry, my other did but u can throw them in the bin and ur fist gets too big. but as for the thumb.once they start that its hard to stop. trust me i should know. i was 15 when i stopped!! x

My son also does this. A friend told me its due to them teething and they like the salty taste of their hands. Apparantly it numbs the gums. Try a teething ring or some gum drops. As soon as my son does this I take his hand out and put in the dummy, he keeps tossing the dummy but it gets the fist out for a while. I would rather deal with the dummy problem later, a hand you cant get rid of!!!

My son is also a little over 3 mos and he does take a pacifier but also sucks on his fingers, fist, my fingers...anything he can get in his mouth! he's also drooling a lot more so i don't know if he's getting ready to start teething or not but he wants something in his mouth all the time!

Emily, you're not alone!! My daughter is 3 months and discovered her fingers just a few weeks ago. You can hear her sucking on her fingers/fist from across the room. We never wanted her to have a paci so we're okay with this. She's starting to isolate fingers and has managed to grasp just her thumb a few times, but she doesn't seem to enjoy sucking on just it - def prefers getting as many fingers in there as possible. It's also a great way for her to self-soothe, and I'll often lay in bed for hours listening ot her do it in her bassinet. Its nice cause my hubby and I get a few extra moments of shut eye and though she's awake, she's happy, and not crying!

Oh and our Peditrician, as well as WhatToExpect.com, confirmed that it can also be a sign of teething so keep your eyes pierced for little nubs! :o)

My daughter loves sucking on her hands with TONS of drool. Doctor says it's completely normal, and she is most likely starting to teeth. She does take the binky, but only to fall asleep really. Then she spits it out. As long as your baby isn't sucking on just the thumb I wouldn't worry. If your baby does start sucking on the thumb though, just be aware it is extremely hard to get them to stop lol. My nephew is 5 and still does it when he's upset. You can take the binky away, but the thumb...it's hard. Good Luck!

Very normal... my 3th old does the same. At times she's got both the pacifier and her hand in there. Other times, she will physically remove the pacifier and shove her hand in. Too funny. We were recommended to just keep putting the pacifier in when possible. She's also started teething, so that's part of this as well.

hi my girl is in the same boat but she has been teething and i have found that when she has a cold teething ring or panadol when she is really upset she won't suck her fist she is 3 and a half months and been doing it for probably since she was about 4 weeks, she doesn't like the dummy but as long as her teething is relieved she is quite happy to stop sucking on her fist ( she'll put the whole thing in and gag bringing up some formula)

glad to see so many 3month olds doing the same thing as my 3mo daughter.. seems like it's not abnormal.. she doesn't like the pacifier as much nowadays and prefers licking to sucking. She would lick my clothes if I carry her against my shoulder or the bedsheet during her tummy time.. :(

My little boy is 12wks today and he's been doing it for a few weeks now, and getting the thumb in there sometimes too. Just the last day or two he has become better at getting the thumb only in his mouth, but still tries to get his fist in there as far as he possibly can. And while he's doing it, drool is going absolutely everywhere!!

My daughter is 15 weeks and is a hand-sucker. She'll still take a pacifier, but sometimes she'll spit it out and put her hand back in there. I think they're just learning by touching and tasting any way they can. This is also how they start learning how to feed themselves... Hand to mouth movement. :) And who knows? Maybe she'll suck her thumb!

my daughter is 3 months old too... and she's discovered her hands and now it's her thumb she's accomplished..lol..she doesn't like pacifiers that much.. as long as she is happy, so am I... my guess is she'll be my only thumb sucker..look out dentist here we come..lol

My youngest is 3 months old and loves her pacifier but also loves her fist. Personally I prefer the pacifier so if I see her putting her fist in her mouth I switch it with the pacifier. It is easier to break them off the pacifier cause you can take it away. You cannot take away their thumb or fist.

My son does the same exact thing and he is also 3 mnths old. He also refuses to take a binki now even though he used to. I have also noticed that he has his two bottom teeth starting to show so his might be from the starting stages of teething. But I would say it is very normal, just learning out the different parts of their body and starting to explore.

my son is 3 months old and always sucks on his hands. He does it after a feeding too and he loves his pacifier but sometimes he rather have his fist. He drools alot his whole shirt is soaked. I am also curious if he is teething but my other two children didn't get their teeth until after one years old.

LOL, you guys are cracking me up! My son is the same way - hates the pacy but loves to shove that fist in! I just hope he doesn't end up a thumb sucker since that will be a hard habit to break, I think.